Survive Norfolk: Zombies vs Humans in Virginia to Attract 10,000

by Jordan Yerman | October 22, 2010 at 09:28 am

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Whitney Metzger's "Zombies vs Humans" Event to Draw 10,000 People

Whitney Metzger organized "Survive Norfolk", a Zombies vs Humans game in the Norfolk, Virginia, expecting a few hundred people to attend. That number is now looking more like 10,000, as several blocks in the Ghent neighborhood are closed to traffic, and off-duty police officers are hired to maintain order.

Survive Norfolk begins at 8:30pm on October 22; check-in begins at 6:15pm. Meet on the Corner of Colonial Ave and 20th St. in Ghent. If you are participating, bring a signed Survive Norfolk waiver. Having said that, zombie access to the US legal system remains a gray-area. (Survive Norfolk area map- pdf)

'Zombies Are Awesome'... and Expensive

Survive Norfolk is billed as part-tag, part-footrace, part-zombie apocalypse:

You have 2.5 hours to make it from the Starting Point to the End Point, but be aware there are 4 checkpoints you MUST stop at on your journey. Oh, and the entire time a horde of Zombies will be chasing you down. If you get caught, you become one of them. If you get to each checkpoint and make it to the End Point without being eaten alive, then you have survived the game. Glory shall be yours.

Whitney Metzger's motivation for putting on the Zombies vs Humans event: "Zombies are awesome". Since so many people are expected to show up, Metzger had to organize several thousand dollars' worth of permits and security, and had to take donations leading up to the event.

The Mayor of Norfolk is okay with Zombies vs Humans, mainly because he has no choice.

Metzger was blindsided by the rush, forcing the 26-year-old office administrator to raise money for a permit, off-duty police and insurance.

"I'm not sure we could stop it now if we tried," Mayor Paul Fraim said. "So we're just trying to go with the flow and make the best of it."